STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Nicole Smith lost her mother to pancreatic cancer at the age of 53 in the spring of 2015, she knew she wanted be there for others experiencing the same plight.

Now, Bella Lisa, named after Smith's mother, is Staten Island's only pancreatic cancer foundation, that provides awareness along with financial and emotional support to those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

"After she passed, I knew what I was going through...and I wanted to be that [supportive] person for others that I needed," she said.